About 10 km south of Verona, the middle plain between the rivers Mincio (which starts at Peschiera del Garda as a lake emissary, then flows south towards Mantua) and Adige (which goes through the city of Verona, then continues south-east towards Legnago and Rovigo) is crossed by a horizontal line of springheads, whose waters, collected into a canal managed by the Veronese Land Reclamation Consortium, flow from west to east, following the natural slope of the Po Valley, finally flowing into the Adige just below the town of San Giovanni Lupatoto. Thanks to the decisive role played by the Consortium— which opened the canal’s service embankments and fostered cooperation among the eight municipalities it crosses, securing funding from the Veneto Region – a high-quality cycle–pedestrian path was completed along the canal in 2018. The route is largely paved and fully separated from traffic, and it crosses several notable resurgence rivers, including the Tione, the Tartaro, and the Menago. From the outset, the Risorgive bike-and-pedestrian path was well received by the local communities, which had long lacked safe, green paths for both recreation and daily use. It has also gradually emerged as a cycle-tourism route of European importance, attracting organised groups of cyclists thanks to its ability to link major routes such as the Mincio cycle path (part of the Sun Cycleway, a section of Eurovelo 7 “Sun Route”) and the Adige-Isarco cycleway, which from the Resia and Brenner passes, through Bolzano, Trento and Verona leads to the Adriatic beaches of Rosolina Mare, a short distance from Chioggia and Venice. These cycle tourists, along with everyone else who ride it, can enjoy a pleasant, flat route immersed in greenery, passing through small towns and points of interest, such as Castel d’Azzano with the municipal park of Villa Nogarola, Villafranca di Verona with its noteworthy Scaliger Castle, and the unmissable Borghetto sul Mincio.

We will follow the cycle path from east to west, thus riding upstream along the canal. The starting point, located on the right bank of the river Adige (km 0.0), is the so-called Casa Bombardà, a hydraulic sluice that regulates the water flow from the canal into the river in Pontoncello, on the border between the municipalities of San Giovanni Lupatoto and Zevio. This building was severely damaged in 1945 by Allied bombing, but has been recently restored by the municipality of San Giovanni, to turn it into an information point for the area. This is the starting point of a high-quality paved bike path alongside the canal, also marked by a sign showing that the Mincio River is 33 km away. The route is clearly sign-posted, and after crossing a few roads you pass under the SS434 Transpolesana State Road at km 2.2 (pay attention to the steep descent), then after the river Menago you cross the SS12 Abetone and Brenner State Road above the village of Buttapietra (km 8.3), and ride under the Verona-Bologna railway (9.7 km). At km 13.4, in the municipality of Castel d’Azzano, after crossing the river Tartaro you can take a short detour (approximately 500 m, following the signs) to visit the large park where the beautiful villa Nogarola town hall is located. Continuing along the path, at km 14.5 you cross perpendicularly the bed of the initial section of the Verona-Rovigo railway, which was abandoned in the 1980s: the presence of the roadbed and a row of trees cannot escape an expert eye, and the unmistakable sign of the old Castel d'Azzano station, although now worn and crumbling, is still standing. Shortly after, you ride under the A22 Brennero-Modena motorway (km 15.8) and next to the sports facilities of Povegliano Veronese (km 18.8), the centre is just a few hundred metres away. After that you cross the SP24 Provincial Road, and ride on a compact gravel section (km 19.4) for approximately 3 km, until a level crossing on the Verona-Mantua railway (km 22.3). After the level crossing you will ride on tarmac again and arrive in the bustling town of Villafranca di Verona. Should you need to catch a train, turn right into via Messedaglia, the station is just 500 metres away. Our route continues on via Trieste, at the end of which you will see the imposing Scaliger Castle overlooking the centre of the small town, then on via Perugia and via Dante Alighieri along the river Tione. After that, you turn right and go up viale Olimpia (km 23.7), continue on a segregated path, then after 400 m you turn right on the long pedestrian and bike path of via Arnaldo Porta. At the end of the street (25.8 km), in Dossi di Prabiano, you continue straight on a street that soon turns to loose gravel and, after a short climb, leads to Corte Zaghina. Here (km 27.3) you turn right on via Fossa Campagna, and ride for about 3 km on a straight, compact gravel stretch, until you come to the SP24 Provincial Road (km 30.3). You go through a signalised crossing on the paved via Brughiero on the other side, at the end of which (km 31.2) you turn left on via Venturelli. After that, continue on via Vicenza, viale Papa Giovanni XXIII and via dei Pittori and you come to Valeggio sul Mincio. At the junction with via Cavour (km 32.7) take the segregated path on the left, and you will soon reach the entrance of the famous Villa Sigurtà gardens (km 33.0). Keep going straight ahead and you will reach the old town, or you can turn right into via Scipione Maffei and after 700 m you will get to the Scaliger Castle overlooking the Mincio valley; you may also opt for a 1 km ride downhill for a highly recommended visit to the picturesque hamlet of Borghetto sul Mincio, with its monumental Visconti bridge. From Borghetto, a place of exceptional charm, cyclists may travel on the Mincio cycleway either northbound (Peschiera del Garda) or south (Mantua).